Will Medical Marijuana Take Biotech Stocks To A New High?

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If marijuana brings words like smoke, pot, weed and grass to your mind, it’s time to change that picture to medicine, cure and relief. For the medical marijuana industry, what comes to mind are words like high sales, profit growth potential and stock market catalyst.

Marijuana has been used since the beginning of civilization; the first written record of the use of cannabis dates back to 2727 B.C. The ancient Chinese, Indian, Greek and Roman civilizations used cannabis for pain relief, indigestion and rheumatism, among other medical purposes. Over the centuries, cannabis became notorious as an illicit drug, and it is only in the last 50 years that modern medicine has recognized its value in healing. Research is ongoing on the use of marijuana to ease chronic or severe pain, seizures, muscle spasms, certain aspects of multiple sclerosis, nausea from chemotherapy and weight loss caused by chronic illnesses such as HIV or nerve pain.

The Cannabis Industry has Huge Potential

The cannabis industry is large and growing. More than 25 million Americans are already eligible to buy medical marijuana. The use of marijuana for medical purposes is permitted in 23 states and the District of Columbia. Sales of marijuana touched $5.4 billion in 2015; and this number is expected to surge to more than $6.7 billion in 2016, and explode to almost six times that number to $35 billion by 2020. So, we’re talking about a 600% increase in 4 years. Which other industry affords that rate of growth?

Could Another Surge in Cannabis Stocks be on its Way?

The medical marijuana industry has just received a major boost! In March 2016, GW Pharmaceuticals plc (NASDAQ: GWPH) announced that its cannabis-derived epilepsy drug Epidiolex achieved the primary endpoint of a significant reduction in convulsive seizures in the treatment’s first pivotal Phase III study. GW Pharma also has another cannabis-based anti-seizure drug called Sativex.

The primary endpoint was achieved with high statistical significance showing that Epidiolex reduces convulsive seizures in children suffering from Dravet syndrome, a rare and severe form of epilepsy that currently has no FDA-approved treatments.

This is breaking news for the medical industry and is expected to boost shares of biotech companies that have been conducting CBD-related research. And 22nd Century Group Inc. (NYSE MKT: XXII) could be the next outperformer. The company is engaged in the R&D, licensing, manufacturing, and worldwide sales and distribution of innovative and effective patented products. The company’s proprietary genetic engineering technology and plant breeding expertise hold great promise for the medical marijuana industry.

22nd Century has recently signed a strategic partnership with Anandia Labs, a leading player in Canada’s cannabis market. The new cannabis research collaboration – where 22nd Century holds exclusive rights in the U.S. to the genes required for cannabinoid production in the cannabis plant – holds the promise of lucrative commercialization opportunities. Through its innovative research, the Company intends to cost-effectively produce commercial quantities of marijuana-based cannabinoids – including CBD and CBC – that show great promise in treating neurological disorders and other medical diseases. 22nd Century has also opened its own laboratories in New York and it continues with its research collaborations with major universities.

While other cannabis related stocks will benefit from the latest development in convulsive seizures, 22nd Century is the only company that has the ability to upregulate and downregulate cannabinoidsfor the production of unique cannabis plant varieties for the medical marijuana industry. In fact, it is the only company that has patents for the genes that completely eliminate THC in plants, and THC needs to be eliminated in purely medical marijuana varietals and in purely commercial hemp varieties of the plant.

While 22nd Century’s shares closed trading on September 20th at $1.21, analysts have projected a jump in the price to $3.50 in less than a year. That’s a whopping 189% increase!

How are analysts so confident of a surge in 22nd Century’s shares? That’s because historically marijuana shares have skyrocketed on news of advancements in R&D.

Cannabis Stimulates the Stock Market

With thousands of scientists and hundreds of organizations and companies investing in R&D, the cannabis industry has received a great fillip in the past two decades. Stocks of companies associated with medical marijuana tend to spike whenever there is a breakthrough in research. Some stocks soar with the boost in optimism.

Let’s have a look at the last uptrend. In August 2013, the US Department of Justice passed a memo allowing individual states to legalize and regulate marijuana sales. While states were getting ready to legalize the recreational and medical use of cannabis, scientific research had started highlighting its curative properties.

In 2010, GW Pharmaceuticals plc (NASDAQ: GWPH) received approval in the UK for Sativex, a mouth spray that contains two cannabinoids: THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol). This made Sativex the world’s first cannabis-based prescription medicine. On April 10, 2013, the status moved to Schedule 4, which means that controlled drug prescription requirements and safe custody requirements were no longer applicable. In March 2016 as described above, GW Pharma also received approval for its cannabis-derived epilepsy drug, Epidiolex.

Continued scientific study of cannabinoids, the chemicals in marijuana, led the FDA to approve two medications that contained cannabinoid chemicals in pill form. This was a huge breakthrough.

Against the backdrop of good news and expectations of steep sales growth in the cannabis industry, shares responded positively. The stocks that recorded substantial gains in 2014, making early investors jump for joy, included:

United Cannabis (OTCBB: CNAB) – Shares surged 1,025%. This means that if an investor had bought shares for merely $1,000 in 2013, he would have converted that to $11,250 in less than a year! The company was founded to advance the use of cannabinoids in medicine through research, product development and education. It has established affiliate relationships with Harborside and Prana Bio Nutrient Medicinals, among others.

CannaVEST Corp (OTCMKTS: CANV) – Shares climbed 113%. The company is a manufacturer and distributor of cannabidiol-based products. It is focused on the procurement and wholesale of cannabidiol; and the development, marketing and sale of end-consumer products containing CBD.

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This report/release/profile is a commercial advertisement and is for general information purposes only. We are engaged in the business of marketing and advertising companies for monetary compensation unless otherwise stated below. The Wealthy Biotech Trader and its employees are not a Registered Investment Advisors, Broker Dealers or a member of any association for other research providers in any jurisdiction whatsoever and we are not qualified to give financial advice. The information contained herein is based on sources which we believe to be reliable but is not guaranteed by us as being accurate and does not purport to be a complete statement or summary of the available data. Sometimes human error can attribute to honest mistakes in reporting on issues regarding public companies and overall capital markets, and as such we are not responsible for the complete accuracy in these reports as the reader is required to verify all statements to ensure they are completely accurate. The Wealthy Biotech Trader’s parent company has been compensated fifteen thousand dollars per month for a 12 month contract by 22nd Century Group. The Wealthy Biotech Trader encourages readers and investors to supplement the information in these reports with independent research and other professional advice. All information on featured companies is provided by the companies profiled through their website, news releases, and corporate filings, or is available from public sources and The Wealthy Biotech Trader makes no representations, warranties or guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of the disclosure by the profiled companies. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides investors a ‘safe harbor’ in regard to forward-looking statements. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, goals, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact may be “forward looking statements”. Forward looking statements are based on expectations, estimates, and projections at the time the statements are made that involve a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those presently anticipated. Forward looking statements in this action may be identified through use of words such as “projects,” “foresee,” “expects,” “will,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “believes,” “understands,” or that by statements indicating certain actions “may,” “could,” or “might” occur. Understand there is no guarantee past performance will be indicative of future results. Past Performance is based on the security’s previous day closing price and the high of day price during our promotional coverage. Readers must visit our website at www.wealthyventurecapitalist.comin order to view our entire disclaimer which covers most of the risks, biases and liability releases to have a full understanding after reading this article.

BIOTECH COMPANY COULD BE ON THE CUSP OF NEW PROENZYME DRUG FOR THE TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF CERTAIN FORMS OF CANCER

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The Wealthy venture capitalist is a series of industry-focused Investment articles focused on showing everyday Investors new opportunities in rapidly growing, little-known stocks in 4 of the markets hottest sectors: Biotech, Technology, Medical and Recreational Marijuana, and Consumer products.

About Us

The Wealthy Venture capitalist is a series of industry-focused Investment articles focused on showing everyday Investors new opportunities in rapidly growing, little-known stocks in 4 of the markets hottest sectors: Biotech, Technology, Medical and Recreational Marijuana, and Consumer products.

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